Survey: Most online shoppers not deterred by higher shipping costs

By Katherine Boccaccio

Whiting, Ind. -- Research released Wednesday by CouponCabin.com showed that more than half of U.S. adults’ online shopping habits won’t be impacted by rising shipping costs.

According to the survey, conducted by Harris Interactive for CouponCabin.com, 51% of those polled said they are neither more or less likely to shop online, even with potentially increasing shipping costs. An additional 7% said they are more likely to shop online.

Of those who said they will continue to shop online, 73% said they will be more likely to shop online at a website that offers free shipping as opposed to one that doesn't.

"Free shipping offers entice online consumers, but retailers may have more difficulty providing them as costs rise," said Jackie Warrick, senior savings advisor at CouponCabin.com. "To still present free shipping as an option, some stores may need to increase item prices to absorb the cost effectively. Regardless, budget-savvy consumers will seek out free shipping in as many ways as they can."

In addition to shopping on sites that automatically offer free shipping, most online shoppers search for free shipping coupon codes for their purchases. In fact, 77% of U.S. adults who shop online at all search for free shipping codes at least sometimes. Twenty-four percent indicate that they do so often, while 25% sometimes do. Twenty-three percent never or rarely search for free shipping codes when shopping online.